Magnetic game apparatus



C. C. KERNODLE MAGNETIC GAME APPARATUS Filed March 12, 1962 Jan- 7 mil" mummlmfimlllllllllllll 014 my 0. lie-a United States Patent "ice 3,116,929 MAGNETIC GAME APPARATUS Calvin C. Kernodle, 5471 Fenmore Road, Indianapolis, Ind. Filed Mar. 12, 1962, Ser. No. 179,167 2 Claims. (Cl. 273153) This invention relates to a game, and more particularly to a game wherein a game-piece moved through a labyrinth by magnetic forces.

It is an object of my invention to provide a game which will be simple and economical to manufacture, which can be played and enjoyed by both children and adults, and which will provide a test of skill and manipulative dexterity.

According to the preferred form of my invention, there is provided a non-magnetic board having a smooth bottom surface and an upper surface provided with a plurality of depressions formed therein in an irregular pattern. A circuitous pathway extends over said upper surface and threads its way between the depressions in said upper surface between starting and finishing points.

There is provided a game-piece which has a downwardly projecting magnet slidable over said upper surface. A second magnet, conveniently a bar magnet, is movable along the bottom surface of the board in an effort to move said game-piece along the pathway on said upper surface from its starting to finishing points without having said game-piece fall into any one of the depressions in said upper surface.

Other objects and features of my invention will become apparent from the more detailed description which follows and from the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a game embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan View of the game shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2, and showing the magnet for moving the gamepiece over the board.

As shown in the drawings, my invention comprises a relatively thin game board formed from a non-magnetic material and having upstanding side walls 12 to which ground-engageable legs 14 are mounted in any convenient manner for thus supporting the board 10 in a level horizontal position. Conveniently, the board 10 may be formed as a laminate to define opposed upper and lower surfaces 15 and 16. As shown, the upper surface 15 has a plurality of depressions 18 formed therein in an irregular pattern, while the lower surface 16 is smooth and uninterrupted. A pathway leading from a starting point to a finish point extends over the upper surface 15 and threads its way through the maze of depressions 18 in proximate relation to said depressions. The pathway 20 has a negligible height so that it will not interfere with the movement of a game-piece over the board.

As shown in FIG. 3, I provide a game-piece 22 which may have any desired token configuration, such as for 3,115,929 Patented Jan. 7, 1964 example, a miniature automobile as shown. The gamepiece is slidably supported on the board 10 on a magnet 24 projecting downwardly from said game-piece adjacent its center of gravity. The magnet 24 has a cross-sectional extent slightly smaller than the cross-sectional extent of each of the depressions 1850 that in the event the gamepiece strays from the pathway 20 into one of the depressions 18, the magnet 24 will be received in said depression. The game-piece 22 is movable along the pathway 20 by a magnet 26, conveniently a bar magnet, with the adjacent ends of the magnets 24 and 26 being of opposite polarity. Movement of the magnet 26 along the lower board surface 16 causes the game-piece 22 to move over the pathway 20, but should the magnet 26 be moved into a position to cause said game-piece to stray from the pathway 20 into one of the depressions 18, the magnet 26 will not be able to extract the magnet 24, and thus the game-piece 22, from said depression, and the players progress in moving the game-piece from the starting point toward the finish point is thus stopped.

I claim as my invention:

1. A game apparatus, comprising (a) a playing board of non-magnetic material having a substantially plane bottom surface and a substantially plane upper surface provided with a plurality of depressions distributed thereover in mutually spaced relationship,

(b) a tortuous pathway displayed on said upper surface and threading between said depressions,

(c) a game-piece including a vertically disposed bar magnet the lower end of which is slidable over said upper surface and is small enough to be received in any of said depressions and to pass between adjacent depressions as the game-piece moves along said pathway,

(d) said game-piece also including a body portion mounted on said bar magnet to be above and out of contact with said upper surface as the game-piece moves thereover,

(e) and a second bar magnet adapted, while disposed in a substantially vertical position, to be moved along said bottom surface for moving said game-piece along said pathway.

2. A game apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which (a) the body portion of said game-piece is horizontally elongated and projects in opposite directions beyond the sides of the game-piece magnet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 417,931 Miatt Dec. 24, 1889 1,084,370 Smith Jan. 13, 1914 2,525,738 Tormey Oct. 10, 1950 2,747,872 Harvey May 29, 1956 3,033,573 Castle et al May 8, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 69,123 Denmark Apr. 19, 1949 

1. A GAME APPARATUS, COMPRISING (A) A PLAYING BOARD OF NON-MAGNETIC MATERIAL HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY PLANE BOTTOM SURFACE AND A SUBSTANTIALLY PLANE UPPER SURFACE PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF DEPRESSIONS DISTRIBUTED THEREOVER IN MUTUALLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP, (B) A TORTUOUS PATHWAY DISPLAYED ON SAID UPPER SURFACE AND THREADING BETWEEN SAID DEPRESSIONS, (C) A GAME-PIECE INCLUDING A VERTICALLY DISPOSED BAR MAGNET THE LOWER END OF WHICH IS SLIDABLE OVER SAID UPPER SURFACE AND IS SMALL ENOUGH TO BE RECEIVED IN ANY OF SAID DEPRESSIONS AND TO PASS BETWEEN ADJACENT DEPRESSIONS AS THE GAME-PIECE MOVES ALONG SAID PATHWAY. (D) SAID GAME-PIECE ALSO INCLUDING A BODY PORTION MOUNTED ON SAID BAR MAGNET TO BE ABOVE AND OUT OF CONTACT WITH SAID UPPER SURFACE AS THE GAME-PIECE MOVES THEREOVER, (E) AND A SECOND BAR MAGNET ADAPTED, WHILE DISPOSED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL POSITION, TO BE MOVED ALONG SAID BOTTOM SURFACE FOR MOVING SAID GAME-PIECE ALONG SAID PATHWAY. 